The Anglo-Norman surname Sanders is derived from the name
Saunder, which is a pet form of the personal name Alexander.
This name was originally derived from the Greek personal name
Alexandros which literally means defender of men. This is one of
many theories of where the name came from.

German:

The distinguished German surname Sanders is of two possible
origin. First, the name may be derived from the personal name
“Sanders”, which is a diminutive of the popular Greek personal
name “Alexander”, meaning “Protector”. In this case the surname
would mean “son of Sanders”. Alternatively, the name may be
derived from the place name “Sand”, the name of several towns in
Germany. In this instance, the name would have been originally
borne by someone hailing from one of these towns.

Dutch:

The
Surname Sanders was first found in Holland, where the name
became noted for its many branches in the region, each house
acquiring a status and influence which was envied by the princes
of the region. The name was first recorded in North Holand, a
province of the Netherlands. The principle cities are Amsterdam,
Haarlem and Hilversum. It was the seat of old Counts of Holland.

There is no doubt that the name “Sanders” has deep seated roots
across the big pond. The name Sanders has many theories as to
its origin however, one constant through all the research is
that “honor”, “protector”, defender, etc…..

Sanders spelling variations:

A person’s name was often spelled simply as it sounded by
medieval scribes and church officials. A few of the variations
include: Sanders, Saunders, Sawnders, Sainders, Saynders,
Saunderrs, Sannders, Sanderrs, Saunder, Sanderson, and many
more.

This famous surname is international and has been recorded in
some form in every European country. There are at least three
potential origins. These are firstly a derivative of the Greek
personal name Alexander, meaning "The defender", and which was
first recorded in 2000 b.c. It was introduced into Britain by
"Crusaders" and other pilgrims, from the Holy Land, in the 12th
century a.d.. Secondly in Britain, it can be locational from the
village of Sanderstead in the county of Surrey. This place was
first recorded as "Sonderstede" in the famous Anglo-Saxon
Chronicles of the year 871, meaning the house on the sandy
land. The third option is from the pre 7th century word "sand",
plus the Germanic suffix "er", and as such describing a person
who worked with or supplied sand, used for building or
agricultural. The various spellings of the surname include
Sander, Saunder, and Sandar, whilst Saunders, Sanders, and
Sandars are the patronymics. Early examples of the surname
recording include William Sandre of the county of Kent, England,
in 1316, and Richard Saunder of Stafford in the Subsidy Rolls of
that county for the year 1332. Other examples include Sir Edward
Saunders, Chief-baron of the exchequer to Queen Elizabeth 1st in
1559, whilst Francis Sanders, (1648 - 1710), a Jesuit priest,
was confessor to the exiled King James 11 of England, at the
palace of St. Germain in France. The first recorded spelling of
the family name is believed to be that of Henry Sandres, which
was dated 1275, in the "Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire". This
was during the reign of King Edward 1st, known as "The Hammer of
the Scots", 1272 - 1307.

The question of family crests and coats of arms is common, but
there is no true Sanders family emblem. Crests are granted to
individuals, not the overall family, then passed down the
lineage of male descendants. For this reason, one Sanders family
could have a different crest than another Sanders family.

While researching the Sanders of
Onslow County, I kept running across the same first names over
and over again. However, they were not always the same family.
There were multiple people by the names of: John, James, Robert,
Richard, William and Elizabeth in the Virginia, Mass, and North
Carolina areas and it was difficult to determine who was who in
these areas. Dates of birth and death were good indicators but
not always certain. Birth dates as well as Death dates needed to
match in order to have any level of certainty. In some cases the
dates of the Land Patents would give a clue. Another issue is
the fact that there was a John Sanders, John Sanders I and a
John Sanders II. Each of them had children who were given
similar names. John Sanders had 3 sons; John Sanders I, Robert
Sanders, Elizabeth Sanders, and William. His son John Sanders I
had 3 children; John Sanders II, Robert and Richard

Some documents made it difficult
to determine which John, Robert or Richard they were talking
about.After about 4 generations and 100
years later, the names started changing. This made it so much
easier to identify who was who.

It’s enough to say that things
get quite confusing when you’re trying to match names on land
grants.

One document states that James
Sanders Sr. of Johnston County was a grandson of John Sanders
Sr. through his son Richard Sanders. So this is another branch
of Sanders who settled in the
Smithfield/Four Oaks
area of Johnston County. You will find many people by
the last name of Sanders including African Americans with the
last name of Sanders. There was a Sanders Plantation on what is
now Cleveland Church Rd just outside of the community of
Cleveland near 40/42 intersection. I’ve known there were Sanders
in Johnston County for quite some time. I’ve seen Sanders
Cemeteries around the area. I decided to investigate some of the
cemeteries around here. As I was riding I stopped by an old
looking church with African Americans outside talking who looked
like church members. I asked one of the men if they knew of any
old cemeteries around here. I told them who I was and what I was
looking for. I spoke with a man by the name of Raymond. He said
that he too was a Sanders and he took me on a tour of his church
cemetery and there were several Sanders buried there.